Top 5 Films 2014
Following on the theme from last year, I’m doing a lowdown on my favourite movies of 2014. 2014 has been a ridiculously busy year for me and I didn’t get to the cinema half as much as I’d like to. I guess there’s always Blu-Ray but I much prefer the cinematic experience first. That aside, there’s been a lot of darker, edgier films on our screens this year which appeals a lot to my taste, so that was a nice surprise for me this year. On to the list, in no particular order because I find that films are so diverse that it’s hard to place one above the other.
The Guest
I wrote a review of this which you can read here. I adored this movie, it reminded me a lot of the old grindhouse style movies. It has a cast of relative unknowns, violence to an extreme degree, a lurid colour palette and a shard as nails alternative soundtrack. Director Adam Wingard has provided a fresh of breath air in the horror genre in recent years so it was nice to see him take a bit of a segway from the genre into thrillers. I’m excited to see what his upcoming projects bring to our screens!
Pride
I’m a lover of a good British social realism text but something I’m sure anyone familiar with the genre can attest to is that the stories represented don’t usually shine the brightest of lights on our great nation. That’s why films like Pride stand out for me, the movie took a subject as troubling as gay rights and miners strikes where so many struggled and made it into what was probably the feel good film of the year for me. Extremely uplifting, some real belly laughs and a smorgasbord of the epitome of current British talent.
Nightcrawler
Upon leaving the cinema I realised I was watching a completely different film to what I had actually seen. I thought I was watching a crime thriller about the dark side of LA when actually the film is a character study of one of the most subtly revealed psychopaths I’ve ever experienced. It’s no surprise that some of the most memorable characters are psychopaths as they are so delightfully evil, but Nightcrawler is a much truer depictions of a psychopath in a realistic (as realistic as you can get in Los Angeles) setting. It left me cold, but in a way that I really enjoyed.
The Lego Movie
Probably the shocker of the year. I went to see this because I like Lego and this had desirable cast and looked to be a good laugh. Cue me dying of laughter at all the adult ‘in-jokes’ giggling childishly at the silly Lego references and gagging for more as cameo upon cameo were unleashed into the storyline. The non-animated ended kind of spoiled it slightly for me but the rest of the film was so fast pace and relentless with the laughs and references that I didn’t really care. Absolutely excellent.
Calvary
There’s always one film every year that I think serves for the cast to put on their CV as if to say ‘look how good at acting I am, please take me seriously.’ Calvary was Chris O’Dowd’s. I find there’s something romantic about a slow-paced storyline that drearily trudges through a grey cloud-lined world, and Calvary does this beautifully yet intercepts the misery with sharp and shocking declarations where one can only react by laughing. It’s a black comedy of the best kind, and definitely worth a watch.
Can't wait to watch a few films I missed this year such as Maps to the Stars and Under the Skin, hopefully Santa brings me a few of them on Blu-Ray!
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